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All multimedia about environment and health

There is a strong link between our health and food. Food is a basic human need. In addition to being available, it needs to be of high quality, accessible, not contaminated, affordable and environmentally sustainable.
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Noise affects a large number of Europeans, which perceive it as one of the major environmental problems. It can affect people in both physiological and psychological ways, interfering with basic activities such as sleep, rest, study and communication. The NOISE database establishes a system of source identification, noise mapping and population exposure assessments based upon noise indicators for Europe.
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(Transcription of audio on video)
Europe loses 200 million working days a year to air pollution-related illness.
The air pollutants that affect the respiratory system are ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matter.
The breathing in of fine particulate matter significantly increases the numbers of deaths from cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases. Over a third of particulate matter comes from domestic wood stoves, another third from industrial sources, and the remainder from transport and agriculture.
Ground level ozone, one of the components of smog and produced through vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, also has severe implications for respiratory health.
The European Commission Clean Air for Europe programme found that in the year 2000 around 350,000 people were dying prematurely due to outdoor pollution of fine particulate matter alone.
Although levels of particulate matter and ozone have both been reducing in recent decades, estimates indicate that 20 million Europeans suffer from respiratory problems.
Source: The European environment - State and outlook 2005
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Gabriele Schöning - EEA expert on Human Health
"People might have different opinions about what are the most important environmental issues at the moment. A very important thing definitely is climate change and how this will affect the whole environment but also human health by increasing ultra-violet radiation which might lead to skin cancers.
Other more up to date problems are air pollution problems - although it has become better it is still a thing which affects children's health and is causing allergies.
Another point is water quality which, for instance, comes up in old cities where you still have lead water pipes in the houses and this can lead to complications for children and can reduce children's intelligence."
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